Another test of US shield laws for non-MSM reporters

A second case that will test shield laws for American reporters is under way in California. The court action follows a police raid on the home of Gizmodo staffer Jason Chen.

Police allege Chen had stolen property – a prototype of the next Apple iPhone – and that he had committed a felony by having it in his possession.

Gizmodo, published by the Gawker group, is challenging the warrant on the grounds that Chen is a journalist and his home is his newsroom.

Under California law, a warrant cannot be used to seize the work items of a reporter.

There is good coverage of this issue on Gizmodo and elsewhere, so I won’t repeat it here, but on the heels of this New Jersey case, it seems that the scope of shield laws and the definition of ‘journalist’ and ‘reporter’ are going to get a legal work out in the USA in the next few months.